AN AERIAL SCHOOL FOR SPOTTING CANNABIS

Law Enforcers Statewide Come Here For Guidance

This week Ukiah residents will notice a definite increase in
helicopter traffic overhead. Nine helicopters, ranging from small
Bell Jet Rangers to a National Guard Black Hawk from Moffett Field in
the Bay Area, are taking part in a week-long Aerial Observation
School being held at the Ukiah Airport as part of the ongoing
marijuana suppression effort. The school is funded by the Drug
Enforcement Agency whose larger goal is to eradicate cannabis growing
nationwide.

The Mendocino County Sheriff's Department plays an instrumental role,
using its local expertise by hosting the training session for other
law enforcement agencies. It all happens under the watchful eye of
Sergeant Rusty Noe of the Mendocino Sheriffs Department.

Noe is the Commander of "COMMET" or the County of Mendocino Marijuana
Eradication Taskforce, the group teaching the Aerial Observation School.

In addition to the DEA, the school is supported by the California
National Guard. In all, there are 33 government agencies - local,
state and federal law enforcement - involved in the program including
other sheriff's departments and narcotics task forces.

"They range from as far south as San Diego and north to Humboldt
County," Noe explains.

"It is no longer just a local problem - growers have spread
throughout the state."

Captain Kevin Broin of the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office
explains. "It is natural for law enforcement to come to the place
where there is expertise in a specific area. Sergeant Noe is our
resident expert in this field and he's got a lot to offer others."

"We offer this training every summer," says Noe, who is managing the
35 participating law enforcement students. Noe has been involved for
14 years and knows what he's talking about.

"Today we're teaching spotting. All the pilots are experienced
mountain fliers," he notes. "They fly at about 500 feet above the
ground, the optimum height for spotting the plants. From that height
it's easier to scan more area.

"We fly three to four helicopters in a group with a designated lead
pilot. We are doing two hour surveys," Sergeant Noe notes.

Marijuana crops are grown mostly on forest land, often within state
and National Park borders and sometimes on land owned by the Bureau
of Land Management. Other gardens are grown on ranch land and still
others on privately owned timber property. Noe explains that the
growing of marijuana has become a dangerous problem.

"In the past it has involved several shootings. Many of the growers
live in their fields in order to protect their crops - after all,
they are protecting a very expensive investment.

"We're dealing with major growers here," says the Sergeant. "Our main
goal is to protect the public."

The Aerial Observation School is an educational tool to teach law
enforcement agents how to spot marijuana plants that they will return
to eradicate later in the year.

"This year the cold weather has hampered us," Noe says. "The plants
are younger and smaller and harder to spot. But still, there is a
vast difference in color between the plants and the natural
vegetation," he added, noting that this is the kind of observation
technique they teach.

For the growers, the knowledge that the government is actively
pursuing eradication efforts has forced them to become smarter about
hiding their plants. Many fields are now purposely shielded by forest
growth. The plants grown in light filtered through the overhead trees
are smaller and much harder to spot from the air.

"But we know how to find them," Noe smiles. "That's what COMMET is all about."